The 13th APEC Ministerial Meeting on Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME) kicked off Thursday, centering on measures to foster the firms in the Asia- Pacific region.

The two-day meeting, with participation of ministers in charge of SMEs of members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), has the theme "Strengthening SME Competitiveness for Trade and Investment" which covers such fields as business-enabling environment for SME, SME capacity building for trade and investment, and facilitation of linkages for SME.

During a retreat on Thursday morning and plenary sessions on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, delegates to the ministerial meeting are expected to discuss existing and proposed initiatives on the fields, and eventually adopt the "Hanoi Declaration on SME Competitiveness for Trade and Investment."

Since its inception in 1989, the 21-member APEC, which gathers some of the world's largest economies, including China, the United States, Russia, Japan, and Singapore, has worked to reduce tariffs and other trade barriers across the Asia-Pacific region, create efficient domestic economies and dramatically increase exports.

Source: Xinhua